Steven H. Sadow — Trump Lead Defense Attorney (Georgia)
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Steven H. Sadow — Trump Lead Defense Attorney (Georgia)

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Steven H. Sadow — Trump Lead Defense Attorney (Georgia)

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Category: Voluntary Public Figure — Outside Defense Counsel Role: Lead Georgia defense counsel for Donald J. Trump (August 24, 2023 – present); sole practitioner at Steven H. Sadow, P.C. (Atlanta); nationally recognized criminal defense and RICO specialist Priority: P2 — Network-level operative with a documented, non-criminal role; lead counsel of record on the docket in the Fulton County RICO case from Trump’s surrender through dismissal, and architect of the disqualification motion that ended Fani Willis’s role in the prosecution

## Basis for Inclusion

Subject Classification: Voluntary Public Figure (private-practice attorney who has voluntarily and publicly assumed the most visible attorney-of-record role in a state criminal prosecution of a sitting U.S. president).

Anchor Met (Private Citizen Inclusion Gate):

– Anchor D — Voluntarily assumed leadership/coordination role: Sadow is lead counsel of record on the docket in State of Georgia v. Trump et al. (Fulton County Superior Court). He signed and argued the motion to disqualify the elected Fulton County District Attorney; he was the spokesperson for Trump’s Georgia defense in scheduled press availabilities; and he filed the post-dismissal $6.2 million fee-recovery motion that is the first test of Georgia Senate Bill 244 (2025).

– Anchor C — Documented significant financial relationship enabling the conduct in question: FEC filings show Trump’s leadership-PAC apparatus paid Sadow approximately $1.5 million in the second half of 2023 alone, and additional sums through 2024. Sadow has publicly stated that his Georgia engagement was a $1.5 million flat fee, not an hourly arrangement. (This is documented financial flow, not an accusation of wrongdoing; defense fees are a lawful expenditure.)

What is NOT the basis for inclusion:

– The act of defending Donald Trump. Vigorous criminal defense is constitutionally protected and is itself one of the rule-of-law structures this platform exists to defend.

– Sadow’s prior representation of high-profile clients (Usher, T.I., Rick Ross, Gunna, Steve Kaplan). Those engagements are biographical context.

– His political opinions or social-media posts (none are documented as the basis for any claim here).

Speech characterization: All speech and legal advocacy by Sadow that appears in this profile — including his on-the-record characterizations of the prosecution as “political persecution” and “lawfare” — is characterized as protected speech and protected legal advocacy on behalf of a client. No statement by Sadow promoting false 2020 election claims or urging unlawful conduct has been identified in the public record reviewed for this profile.

Background

Steven H. Sadow is an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and the sole practitioner at Steven H. Sadow, P.C., the firm he has operated since 1986. He is widely characterized in legal-directory listings as one of Atlanta’s most prominent criminal defense lawyers, with a practice concentrated in white-collar crime, healthcare fraud, RICO, drug and firearms offenses, murder, and asset forfeiture. (Source: Wikipedia; Super Lawyers; Best Lawyers; Lawyers.com.)

Sadow was born April 14, 1954. He earned his B.A. from Marietta College in 1976 and his J.D. from Emory University School of Law in 1979. He was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1979 and has been in continuous practice for approximately 46 years. (Source: Prabook biographical entry; Super Lawyers profile; Wikipedia.)

Before forming his own firm, Sadow practiced in Atlanta as an associate. He has appeared in federal trial and appellate courts across the country and is admitted to practice in Georgia state and federal courts and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. (Source: firm listings; Super Lawyers.)

He has been named to Georgia Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America lists for criminal defense for many consecutive years. (Source: Super Lawyers; Best Lawyers.)

Prior Notable Representations

Sadow’s pre-Trump client list is unusually visible:

  • Steve Kaplan — former owner of Atlanta’s Gold Club; Sadow defended Kaplan against federal RICO conspiracy charges in a closely watched prosecution. (Credibly Reported — Wikipedia; Axios.)
  • T.I. (Clifford Harris) — Atlanta rapper; federal weapons case. (Credibly Reported — Axios; The List.)
  • Rick Ross (William Roberts II) — rapper; multiple criminal matters. (Credibly Reported — Axios; The List.)
  • Usher (Usher Raymond IV) — multiple personal-injury and criminal-adjacent matters. (Credibly Reported — Axios.)
  • Gunna (Sergio Kitchens) — rapper; named co-defendant in Fulton County DA Fani Willis’s “YSL” RICO indictment (2022). Sadow negotiated an Alford-plea resolution that resulted in a time-served outcome. (Credibly Reported — Axios; AJC; CNN.)

The Gunna representation is materially relevant: it placed Sadow opposite the same Fulton County District Attorney who would later prosecute Trump, and gave him direct prior experience litigating a RICO case in front of Fulton County Superior Court judges.

Documented Actions

1. Retention by Donald Trump (August 24, 2023)

On or about August 24, 2023, on the eve of Trump’s scheduled surrender at the Fulton County jail, Trump replaced his prior lead Georgia counsel Drew Findling with Sadow. (Credibly Reported — CNN, MSNBC, Axios, AJC, WSB-TV.)

Trump publicly announced Sadow’s retention via Truth Social, calling him “highly respected” and “one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the country.” Sadow surrendered Trump at the Fulton County jail on August 24, 2023, where Trump’s mugshot was taken. (Credibly Reported — Axios; MSNBC.)

2. Lead Counsel in the Fulton County RICO Case

On August 14, 2023, a Fulton County special-purpose grand jury returned a 41-count RICO indictment charging Trump and 18 co-defendants with a conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.

Court record: State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump et al., Fulton County Superior Court, Case No. 23SC188947.

From August 2023 forward, Sadow served as Trump’s lead counsel of record on the docket, working alongside Jennifer Little, Matthew Winchester, and others. Sadow signed and argued the dispositive pleadings of the case, including:

  • The 2024 motion to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis based on her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. (Credibly Reported — AJC, NBC News, CNN, Fox 5 Atlanta.)
  • Argument that Willis’s January 2024 speech at a historic Black church in Atlanta — delivered shortly after the disqualification motion was filed — was independently grounds for disqualification because it was, in Sadow’s argument, “unfairly prejudicial.” (Credibly Reported — multiple Georgia outlets, hearing footage.)
  • Routine docket-management and scheduling motions.

3. Disqualification of DA Willis (December 19, 2024)

On December 19, 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that DA Willis must be disqualified from the case because of an “appearance of impropriety” arising from her relationship with Wade. (Court record — Georgia Court of Appeals; NPR.) The disqualification was sought and won by Sadow’s team. Under Georgia procedure, the case was then referred to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia (PAC GA) for reassignment.

4. Case Dismissal (November 26, 2025)

On November 26, 2025, Peter Skandalakis, executive director of PAC GA, who had taken over the case after Willis’s disqualification, declined to prosecute and the case was dismissed. In a 23-page filing, Skandalakis concluded that the allegations were “essentially federal in nature” and that a state trial would be “unproductive” and would not “serve the interests of justice.” (Credibly Reported — CNN, NPR, Georgia Recorder, CBS News, AJC.)

Sadow appeared in scheduled press availabilities immediately after the dismissal.

5. $6.2 Million Fee-Recovery Motion (Late 2025 / 2026)

Following dismissal, Sadow filed a motion in Fulton County Superior Court seeking $6,262,613.08 in attorney’s fees and litigation costs from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. The motion is the first test of Georgia Senate Bill 244 (2025), which permits criminal defendants to recover legal fees when a prosecuting attorney is disqualified for misconduct and the case is subsequently dismissed. (Credibly Reported — The Hill; 11Alive; Fox 5 Atlanta; CBS Atlanta; 13WMAZ.)

Sadow publicly disclosed that his own portion of the fee request is $1.5 million, a flat fee (not hourly), reflecting his Georgia engagement. The motion is pending before Judge Scott McAfee. (Credibly Reported — 11Alive; 13WMAZ.)

6. PAC Payments

Federal Election Commission filings show that Trump’s leadership PAC apparatus — primarily Save America PAC and affiliated committees — paid Sadow’s firm approximately $1.5 million in the second half of 2023 alone, with additional sums disclosed through 2024. Sadow’s name appears in FEC records alongside John Lauro, Chris Kise, and other Trump defense counsel. (Documented — FEC filings; Credibly Reported — NBC News, ABC News, The Conversation, The Columbian.)

These payments are lawful campaign-finance expenditures and are noted here only as context for the long-running attorney-client relationship.

Speech and Public Statements

Sadow has been markedly more public-facing than co-counsel Jennifer Little. His on-the-record statements about the case are extensive and on behalf of his client. Representative statements:

  • After dismissal (November 26, 2025): “The political persecution of President Trump by disqualified DA Fani Willis is finally over. This case should never have been brought. A fair and impartial prosecutor has put an end to this lawfare.” (Credibly Reported — multiple Atlanta outlets.)
  • After dismissal (interview): Trump’s reaction was “one, of course, of joy” and Trump “was very pleased.” (Credibly Reported — 11Alive.)
  • Earlier in proceedings: Characterizations of the case as a “political prosecution” and an effort to interfere with the 2024 election. (Credibly Reported — Fox 5 Atlanta; WSB-TV.)
  • Pre-trial: Argument that Trump “was always innocent.” (Credibly Reported — WSB-TV.)

These statements are characterized in this profile as protected speech and protected legal advocacy on behalf of a client. They are properly understood as the adversarial position of defense counsel and are not, on the record reviewed, accompanied by:

  • Promotion of false 2020 election claims,
  • Endorsement of the fake elector scheme or Trump’s January 2, 2021 call to Secretary Raffensperger as truthful or appropriate,
  • Statements urging unlawful conduct, intimidation of witnesses, or non-compliance with court orders.

Compare: Sadow’s public record is distinct from the public conduct of co-defendants’ counsel such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, or Sidney Powell, each of whom has documented public statements promoting overturned election claims and, in several cases, related bar discipline.

Other Public-Record Items

  • 70th birthday travel motion (2024). During the pendency of pre-trial proceedings, Sadow’s defense team sought a brief postponement so that Sadow could take a fully-paid, non-refundable international trip with his wife of 45 years for his 70th birthday. The Eleventh Circuit declined to pause the case for the trip; the proceedings continued. (Credibly Reported — Law&Crime.) No misconduct issue arose from the motion.
  • No bar discipline of record. No public Georgia State Bar disciplinary action against Sadow has been identified in the sources reviewed for this profile. One reported review of correspondence during the Georgia election case noted that “no formal sanctions, disciplinary actions, or court adjudications against Sadow resulted from these email accusations.” (\[NEEDS VERIFICATION — 2026-06-14\]: pending a direct check of the Georgia State Bar’s public disciplinary docket and the Eleventh Circuit’s attorney-discipline records.)
  • No indictment or criminal charge related to Trump representation has been identified. Sadow was not among the 19 indicted defendants in the Fulton County RICO case (he had not yet been retained when the indictment was returned), and he has not been publicly identified as an unindicted co-conspirator referenced in the indictment. (Credibly Reported — TIME; FactCheck.org listing of named co-conspirators.)

What This Profile Does and Does Not Claim

It claims:

  1. Sadow has been Trump’s lead Georgia defense counsel since August 24, 2023, replacing Drew Findling on the eve of Trump’s surrender at the Fulton County jail.
  2. Sadow signed and argued the disqualification motion against Fani Willis that, on appeal, ended Willis’s role in the prosecution on December 19, 2024.
  3. Sadow filed the post-dismissal $6.2 million attorney-fee-recovery motion under Georgia SB 244 (2025), of which approximately $1.5 million is his own flat fee.
  4. Trump’s leadership PAC apparatus paid Sadow’s firm approximately $1.5 million in H2 2023 in lawful, FEC-disclosed legal-consulting fees, with additional disclosed sums in 2024.

It does not claim:

  • That Sadow participated in, coordinated, or facilitated any criminal activity by Trump or any co-defendant.
  • That his vigorous adversarial advocacy — including his disqualification motion and his “political persecution” characterizations — constitutes misconduct of any kind.
  • That he promoted false 2020 election claims, fake-elector schemes, or any non-litigation effort to overturn the 2020 election.
  • That he is subject to any pending bar discipline or criminal exposure.

Significance for the Accountability Record

Sadow’s role is noteworthy for the accountability record for three reasons that are independent of any individual wrongdoing:

  1. He was the architect of the litigation strategy that ended the most legally serious state prosecution of a sitting U.S. president to date. The disqualification of an elected Fulton County District Attorney — and the subsequent decision by the reassigned prosecutor to decline — together produced the dismissal of the only state-level RICO case against the 2020 election interference effort. Sadow’s signature is on every motion that produced that outcome.
  1. He is the first attorney to invoke Georgia Senate Bill 244 (2025), the post-2024 statute that allows criminal defendants to recoup costs when a prosecutor is disqualified for misconduct. The pending $6.2 million motion before Judge McAfee will set precedent for how that law operates, in a case where the defendant is the sitting U.S. president and the prosecuting office is a county DA’s office. The outcome will shape state-level criminal prosecutions of public officials going forward.
  1. He is one of the few Trump defense attorneys whose public record contains no documented promotion of false 2020 election claims. His advocacy — even when sharply phrased — has consistently stayed within the boundary of adversarial criminal defense rather than extending into the public-disinformation conduct that characterized other members of the broader Trump legal apparatus. That distinction is itself part of the accountability record and is recorded here to be fair to its subject.

Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, “Steven Sadow.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Sadow
  2. Axios, “Trump’s new Georgia attorney has experience with rappers and racketeering cases,” August 25, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/08/25/steve-sadow-trump-lawyer-georgia
  3. MSNBC / The ReidOut Blog, “Trump hires new lawyer Steven Sadow before surrendering in Georgia,” August 2023. https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/trump-lawyer-georgia-booking-steven-sadow-rcna101637
  4. The List, “What We Know About Donald Trump’s New Lawyer, Steven Sadow,” 2023. https://www.thelist.com/1378886/what-we-know-donald-trump-new-lawyer-steven-sadow/
  5. Super Lawyers, profile of Steve Sadow (Atlanta, GA, white collar crimes). https://profiles.superlawyers.com/georgia/atlanta/lawyer/steve-sadow/5dc45893-f11a-44ef-b378-c7b23b9a55cc.html
  6. Best Lawyers, profile of Steven H. Sadow (Atlanta, GA, criminal defense: general practice). https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/steven-h-sadow/2338
  7. Prabook, “Steven H. Sadow (born April 14, 1954), American lawyer.” https://prabook.com/web/steven_h.sadow/2707366
  8. Law&Crime, “Appeals court refuses to pause Georgia case so Trump lawyer can travel abroad with wife.” https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/appeals-court-refuses-to-pause-trumps-georgia-case-so-defense-lawyer-can-take-fully-paid-for-and-non-refundable-international-70th-birthday-trip-with-his-wife-of-45-years/
  9. NPR, “Fulton DA Fani Willis is blocked from Trump Georgia case,” December 19, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/19/nx-s1-5234059/georgia-trump-case-fani-willis-dismissal
  10. CNN, “Georgia prosecutor kills the historic election interference case against Trump and allies,” November 26, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/26/politics/georgia-prosecutor-drops-trump-election-interference-case
  11. NPR, “The Georgia election interference case against Trump and others has been dropped,” November 26, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/26/nx-s1-5611431/georgia-trump-election-case-dismissed
  12. Georgia Recorder, “Fulton County election interference case against Trump and his allies is dismissed,” November 26, 2025. https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/11/26/fulton-county-election-interference-case-against-trump-and-his-allies-is-dismissed/
  13. 11Alive, “Trump attorney Steve Sadow explains the President’s $6.2M bid to recover legal fees from Fulton DA.” https://www.11alive.com/article/news/politics/the-georgia-vote/trump-attorney-steve-sadow-explains-the-presidents-62m-bid-to-recover-legal-fees-from-fulton-da/85-a262bbaa-d260-4ce4-b6bf-4b76e13a15e3
  14. 13WMAZ, “Trump Attorney Steve Sadow Explains the President’s $6.2M Bid to Recover Legal Fees From Fulton DA.” https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/politics/trump-attorney-steve-sadow-explains-the-presidents-62m-bid-to-recover-legal-fees-from-fulton-da/85-a262bbaa-d260-4ce4-b6bf-4b76e13a15e3
  15. Fox 5 Atlanta, “Trump demands $6.2M from Fulton County for legal fees after case dismissal.” https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-demands-6-2m-from-fulton-county-legal-fees-after-case-dismissal
  16. The Hill, “Trump preps bid to recoup millions in Georgia case legal fees,” 2025. https://thehill.com/newsletters/the-gavel/5630706-georgia-trump-lawsuit-costs/
  17. ABC News, “Trump spent more than $50M of his PAC and super PAC money on legal bills in 2023.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-spent-50m-pac-super-pac-money-legal/story?id=106843612
  18. NBC News, “Trump campaign paid legal fees to lawyers millions.” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-campaign-paid-legal-fees-lawyers-millions-rcna136498
  19. The Conversation, “Yes, Trump’s PACs really can pay his legal fees.” https://theconversation.com/yes-trumps-pacs-really-can-pay-his-legal-fees-222693
  20. The Columbian, “Review: Trump campaign spent $76.7M on legal fees over two years,” February 2, 2024. https://www.columbian.com/news/2024/feb/02/review-trump-campaign-spent-76-7m-on-legal-fees-over-two-years/
  21. WSB-TV, “President Trump was ‘always innocent’ in Georgia election interference case, attorney says.” https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/fulton-county/president-trump-was-always-innocent-georgia-election-interference-case-attorney-says/IGLEMNMU5ZFHPEZEI44UMGTCJ4/
  22. Fox 5 Atlanta, “Georgia election interference case: Judge denies motions from Trump, Shafer.” https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-georgia-election-case-judge-denies-first-amendment-argument
  23. TIME, “The 19 People Charged in Georgia Election Interference Case,” August 2023. https://time.com/6306031/trump-georgia-indictment-co-conspirators/
  24. FactCheck.org, “Trump’s Co-conspirators in Georgia,” August 2023. https://www.factcheck.org/2023/08/trumps-co-conspirators-in-georgia/
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